A section of Japan is putting a halt to administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine after black particles were found in a vial.
BBC reports that a pharmacist in the Kanagawa Prefecture noticed the foreign substance while checking the vaccine before use.
The rest of the batch was put on hold, but not before over 3,000 people had already been vaccinated from that supply.
According to BBC, local reports did not find evidence of the foreign substance causing any health hazards and the contaminated vial is being investigated by the distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical.
Last week, Japan suspended over 1.6 million doses of Moderna doses after becoming aware of contamination in some of the supply, Reuters reported.
Some contaminated vials are suspected to have been caused by needles sticking in the vials and ripping off parts of the rubber stopper.
The halt of administering vaccines in Japan comes as it is being ravaged by the Delta variant.
The country has seen a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases since mid July and reported 14,963 confirmed cases on Tuesday, according to data from the World Health Organization.
The Spanish pharmaceutical firm Rovi, which bottles the vaccine, said the foreign substances found in vials could be a result of their manufacturing lines, in a press release last Thursday.
In the U.S., the Moderna vaccine was deemed safe by peer-reviewed studies and in May was found safe and effective in children from the ages of 12 to 17.
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Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.
Source By:-USA Today
